The 13 Very Best Bed Pillows

Fill type: Cross-cut memory-foam and microfiber blend | Loft: Adjustable | Firmness: Adjustable

The Coop Original is our pick for the best pillow overall because you can adjust the amount of fill to suit your exact sleeping style, making it a flexible option for any type of sleeper — even those who aren’t quite sure what they want. Side sleepers can use the bonus bag of filling included to create a higher loft, while back-and-stomach sleepers can remove some to lower their head into the ideal alignment. The hypoallergenic fill is a blend of 80 percent memory foam and 20 percent microfiber, and it’s contained by two zippered covers: an inner one that actually holds the filling and a quilted outer one that you can easily remove and throw in the wash. If you open up the inner cover to look at the fill, you’ll find the shards of foam almost connected by clingy wisps of microfiber; it kind of looks like the stretchy, melty cheese on a hot slice of pizza. These foam clusters are simultaneously squishy and somewhat dense, and they’re cross-cut rather than shredded, which is supposed to prevent clumping and improve circulation inside your pillow.

Strategist senior editor Jen Trolio, a back-and-side sleeper, purchased two of the Coop Original pillows in the summer of 2018, before she ever worked at the Strategist, while experiencing some intense neck pain and feeling desperate for relief. She reports that they were a huge upgrade from a pair of too-flat pillows that she and her husband were sleeping on at the time and helped to ease her aches after a few weeks. They still have the pillows, and Trolio’s side-sleeper husband still uses his nightly. However, she generally prefers softer, fluffier pillows, and even with some of the fill removed, finds the Coop a bit more dense and firm than she likes.

I’ve also tested this pillow and found it provided some of the classic squish and contouring of memory-foam, but with a more pliant and moldable feel. The cross-cut foam allows you to fluff and zhuzh the pillow, which you can’t really do with a solid slab of foam. I think the Coop is most comfortable for side sleeping because it strikes a nice balance of support and comfort. And Trolio reports that while the foam inside her pillows has yellowed a bit over the last five years, as foam tends to do, it’s kept its springiness.

The pillow is available in queen and king sizes and touts CertiPUR-US and Greenguard Gold certifications for its foam fill, which you can buy more of in medium-firm or firm densities for further customization.

Fill type: Down-alternative fiber | Loft: Medium | Firmness: Medium

If $75 is more than you’d like to spend on a pillow — or if you’re looking for an airier, non-memory-foam fill — these Beckham Hotel Collection pillows are a good and more affordable alternative. They are sold in a two-pack for $60, though you can often find them on sale for even less, and they are plush and pleasantly bouncy thanks to their cushy down-alternative fill. When I tested them, I was pleasantly surprised by how supportive they are.

I often find my head sinking too far down when sleeping on cushy pillows, but the fill in these is dense enough to hold my head, neck, and spine in alignment. I’m a back-and-side sleeper and find the Beckham Hotel pillows comfortable in both positions. Though the fill level and loft are not adjustable, so you can’t customize them like the Coop pillows, they don’t get too sinky or flat. And the price is pretty unbeatable for what you get.

Trolio has also tested the Beckham Hotel Collection pillows and says she actually prefers them over our top-pick Coop pillows because they are on the softer, fluffier side, which is her personal preference for pillows as a combination back-and-side sleeper. She liked them enough that after initially buying a pair for herself, she purchased a second pair for her kids’ room. And Strategist writer Arielle Avila, a stomach-and-side sleeper, says they provide enough support when she’s lying on her side without hurting her neck when she’s lying on her stomach. Avila also runs warm, and says the Beckham Hotel pillows “feel nice and cool when I first get in bed, and I don’t wake up as sweaty as before.” The pillows come in two sizes, queen and king, and they can be conveniently machine-washed and tumble-dried. They also have a growing fan club of Strategist readers and have been one of our top-selling pillows for years.

Fill type: Single piece of memory-foam fill | Loft: Medium | Firmness: Medium

Made of the same foam as Tempur-Pedic’s well-known mattresses, the Tempur-Cloud pillow conforms and adapts to your head’s shape to evenly distribute weight and avoid putting too much stress on your neck, back, or shoulders, no matter what position you sleep in. That versatility is what makes it my favorite memory-foam pillow — it can work for so many different people. (It is also a favorite of Colonello’s.)

This pillow has a single-piece foam construction that is covered with a removable hypoallergenic cover. When I tested it, I immediately loved how the foam contoured around my head and neck, which felt cozy but also kept my neck neutrally aligned when lying on both my back and my side. When I rolled onto my stomach to test that position, I was surprised at how comfortable I felt. I don’t often sleep on my stomach, but I tend to want a next-to-nothing, supersoft and flat pillow if I do — I hate the feeling of my head being pushed back toward my shoulders. But on the Tempur-Cloud, I sank into the foam enough that my neck wasn’t strained at all, despite the medium loft. Stomach-and-side sleeper Goertzen also tested this pillow and says that right out of the box, it offered the distinct feel of memory foam but is much softer than other memory-foam pillows tried. And unlike pillows with down or down-alternative fill, the Tempur-Cloud’s interior compresses slowly and holds her head more stable, which results in less achiness in her upper back.

Fill type: Gel-infused solid memory foam | Loft: Medium-high | Firmness: Medium-firm

For a pleasant memory-foam feel at a more affordable price than the Tempur-Cloud, consider the Weekender pillow. It has a solid-foam-slab construction like the Tempur-Cloud, but uses gel-infused memory-foam to help regulate temperature: The gel acts like a heat-sink to draw warmth away from your head and help you sleep cooler overall. The foam also has ventilation holes to let hot air escape more easily. At five inches tall, this pillow is on the loftier side, making it a good choice for side sleepers, but it could easily work for some back sleepers too. You can choose from three sizes — standard, queen, and king — and the cover is machine washable. Reviewers who’ve rated the Weekender highly on Amazon say the pillow feels firm at first, but then contours deeply around their head and neck for excellent cushioning and support, similar to my experience with the Tempur-Cloud. I’ll be testing this pillow next to see how it directly compares. In the meantime, it’s worth-noting that the Tempur-Cloud is made with a higher-density foam, which I think results in a more cushioning feel. Higher-density foam is also more durable, one reason that it’s also more expensive. But if you’re looking for a decent memory-foam option at a lower price, the Weekender is a good bet.

Fill type: Hyper-elastic polymer and latex | Loft: Low, medium, or high | Firmness: Medium

The breathable outer mesh cover of the Purple Harmony pillow sits over the brand’s proprietary gel grid — the same one that’s featured in its mattresses — and filled with a single slab of perforated latex. This construction makes the pillow supportive and bouncy without feeling overly firm. I’ve been sleeping on the Purple Harmony pillow for over a year and found it well-suited for back sleepers who need strong-enough support to keep their neck and head aligned with their spine without raising their head too high. I’m a back-and-side combination sleeper, so I also appreciate how this pillow self-adjusts and keeps my neck aligned when I roll onto my side.

My partner also sleeps on the Purple Harmony and has declared it “the best pillow ever” for how well it conforms around his head without ever flattening out and springs back into shape as he moves around, while still feeling soft and flexible. (You can see and feel the honeycomb-patterned gel grid through the cover of the pillow, but it flexes and responds so well that it doesn’t feel disruptive at all.) The pillow stays quite cool, thanks to the perforated latex core and gel grid, which seems to provide an extra boost of airflow and cooling. And even after a year of sleeping on these pillows almost every night — we’ve even brought them with us on several road trips — the pillows still feel just as springy and supportive as the first night we slept on them.

The Purple Harmony also comes in three different loft heights: low, medium, and high. For back sleepers, I recommend the low or medium loft, depending on your body size, so you can avoid lifting your head too high. I’m about five-foot-five and sleep on the low-loft model. The pillow comes in two sizes, standard and king, and the cover is machine washable.

Fill type: Solid Dunlop latex | Loft: Medium | Firmness: Medium

This Naturepedic pillow is a close-second latex pillow, for about $70 less. It is pretty similar to the Purple Harmony in that it has a medium firmness, a good bit of bounce, and a nice balance of cushioning and neck support. As with the Purple Harmony, I felt comfortable sleeping on both my back and side on this pillow. The Naturepedic also has a medium loft, like my “low” loft version of the Purple Harmony. But it only comes in one loft option, so it’s not quite as versatile as the Purple Harmony. It also doesn’t have the GelFlex grid, which I think gives the Purple Harmony a little extra cooling boost, but still I found this pillow slept quite cool (and I tested it in the summer heat).

What the Naturepedic does have over the Harmony are 1) a lower price and 2) a more eco-friendly construction. The Naturepedic is made with Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS) certified and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified latex, so if you’re shopping for a latex pillow for the purpose of buying an organic and/or eco-friendly product, the Naturepedic is probably a better choice. It’s also made with an organic cotton cover, while the Purple Harmony has a nylon mesh cover.

Fill type: Down and feathers | Loft: Medium | Firmness: Soft, medium, or firm

Our top-pick down pillow from Parachute comes in three firmness options — soft, medium, or firm. No matter which you choose, the pillow will have a fill power of 750 and be filled with a mix of 85 percent down and 15 percent down-and-feather fibers. The high percentage of down and the higher fill power means these pillows feel extra plush, light, and airy. Strategist writer Brenley Goertzen tested the medium model and reported that the pillow felt super-plush but still provided a good level of support. She says it was easy to mold and scrunch the pillow around her head, and that it reliably bounced back to its shape after being compressed.

This pillow is available in standard and king sizes, and the brand recommends this classic model if you are a back or stomach sleeper. It also sells a boxy, gusseted down pillow that is designed for side sleepers (though with no choice of firmness level).

Fill type: Gray goose feathers and down | Loft: Medium | Firmness: Medium-firm

Since down is so expensive, you can often find a cheaper “down” pillow by looking for one that combines the down with a high proportion of regular feathers. These puredown pillows are exactly that — they have an 85-to-15 ratio of feathers to down as the fill. This results in a firmer feel than with a pillow like the Parachute, which is primarily filled with down. When I tested the puredown pillows, they definitely delivered more neck support than other down pillows I’ve tried. That means you won’t have to worry about neck strain — a common issue with down pillows. But the tradeoff is that these pillows don’t have as much of the plush, marshmallow-y feel I expect from down. That might appeal if you are a side sleeper (who needs extra neck support) or if you just prefer a firmer feel. Or if you want to test the waters of down without forking over $100 or more, these are a great place to start.

Fill type: Polyester fiber | Loft: Varies slightly by density, roughly medium to high | Firmness: Soft, medium, or firm

If you want the feel of down without actual down, down-alternative pillows like this one from Boll & Branch are the way to go. Down-alternative pillows are almost always less expensive than pillows filled with real down, plus they are made without animal products — a benefit for those with allergies or who want a vegan product. This Boll & Branch pillow is my favorite down-alternative pillow because I didn’t quite believe it was a down-alternative the first time I slept on it; I even double-checked the tag to make sure the brand hadn’t sent me the wrong pillow. The polyester fiber fill used in this pillow is just so plush and down-like that it could have passed for the real thing. You can choose between three density options when purchasing this pillow; I tested the medium version, which offered a pleasant mix of support and cushioning. On my back and side, my neck was well-supported and stayed in neutral alignment, so I’d recommend the medium for my fellow back-and-side sleepers. Side sleepers who need some extra support would likely benefit from the firm version, while I’d advise stomach sleepers to go with the soft version.

This pillow isn’t super cheap, but it’s more affordable than many of my other top-pick pillows on this list. And I think Boll & Branch earns that slightly higher price by providing great quality — the pillow has a cotton shell and neat piping along the edges. For a less-expensive down-alternative pillow, I’d recommend the Beckham Hotel Collection pillows above, which earned the title of Best (Less Expensive) Pillow overall. The Beckham Hotel Collection pillow is my runner-up pick in a forthcoming guide to the best down-alternative pillows — it shares many similarities with this Boll & Branch pillow, and at a lower price, though it only comes in one firmness level.

Fill type: Polyester microfiber fill | Loft: Mid-loft or low-loft | Firmness: Medium-firm

One thing I really love about the Casper Original pillow is its unique construction: It has a pillow-within-a-pillow design that layers a cushioned exterior over a firmer, more sturdy interior. This extra support could be really beneficial for people who like a plush and fluffy feel, but don’t want to sink too far into their pillow. (Side sleepers trying to keep their neck in proper alignment should definitely take a look at this one.) A two-inch gusset around the perimeter of the pillow also means the pillow doesn’t taper at the edges and helps keeps the microfiber fill evenly distributed to avoid bunching.

Goertzen is a longtime fan of this pillow and says she’s turned several family members into Casper-pillow converts. She says the core is supportive and maintains its shape, so it doesn’t need to be refluffed in the morning; at the same time, the outside is ultraplush and moldable if you prefer to scrunch or hug your pillow while you sleep sleep. (Although the firmness is technically not adjustable, you could remove the interior pillow and use it on its own, if desired.) Goertzen, who originally bought the standard size but has since upgraded to the king, also likes that the zippered cover, which is 100 percent cotton, doesn’t feel lumpy after multiple washes. And if you purchase through Amazon or the brand’s website, you can buy a single pillow or save a few bucks per pillow by purchasing a two-pack. This pillow also happens to be less expensive than the Boll & Branch pillow above, though it’s still not quite as cheap as the Beckham Hotel pillows.

Fill type: Cross-cut memory-foam and microfiber blend | Loft: Adjustable | Firmness: Adjustable

My favorite adjustable pillow is actually our Best Pillow Overall, the Coop Original, because you can customize it a lot. The removable fill means you can tinker with the firmness pretty significantly, including adding additional fill to make the pillow even loftier and firmer. And for the quality, it’s not a wildly expensive pillow.

Fill type: Chopped memory-foam and microfiber fill blend | Loft: Adjustable | Firmness: Adjustable

For a cheaper and more convenient-to-adjust alternative to the Coop, there’s the Marlow, which you can easily and quickly adjust by unzipping one or both sides of the pillow: For a plusher feel, unzip both sides. For a medium-firm feel, unzip one side. And for a firmer feel, keep both sides of the pillow zipped. The pillow is at its highest loft when both sides are unzipped and at its lowest when both sides are closed up. The zipper takes the place of removing or adding filling, which Trolio and I both found much more convenient than other adjustable pillows we’ve tried. Not only do you not have to physically handle clumps of memory foam and fiberfill, as with our top-pick Coop Original pillow, but you don’t have to deal with storing any filling that you aren’t using. The trade-off is that you can’t get quite as customized of a result, but for many people, the convenience will outweigh that limitation.

The Marlow is similar in feel to the Coop Original pillow thanks to its memory-foam-and-microfiber fill — it is more dense and less fluffy, even at its plushest setting with both sides unzipped. The Marlow is very supportive, though, and it’s hard to overlook the ease of adjusting it, which is an especially useful feature for combination sleepers who frequently change sleep positions. I thought it was most comfortable for back and side sleeping — I liked the all-they-way zipped setting for side sleeping, and I think either zipped or unzipped could work for back sleeping. For me, the Marlow is a little too lofty to be comfortable on my stomach, but the unzipped setting definitely allowed the pillow to compress more beneath me so I could avoid straining my neck. Trolio, a back-and-side sleeper like me, likes the all-the-way unzipped setting best, as she prefers a softer, fluffier pillow.

Fill type: Vegan-down fill | Loft: Adjustable | Firmness: Adjustable

Beloved by actor and director Natalie Morales, comedian and podcaster Whitney Cummings, and actor Emma Roberts — all of whom have told us this specialty “over-the-head” pillow is something they can’t live without — the Sleep Crown is designed to lay over your forehead, eyes, and ears and provide gentle pressure while blocking light and muffling sound. (There’s also a travel-size version that comes with a bag and a clip for attaching it to your luggage.) Intrigued by its celebrity endorsements, Trolio said she had to try it for herself. Although her first impression was that the Sleep Crown felt like an “expensive adult Squishmallow,” after sleeping with it for just a few weeks, she was hooked by the pillow’s vegan-down fill.

Trolio says she’s never tried a pillow that is so supremely flexible and moldable. She has been using the Sleep Crown for over a year and reports that she stands by the Squishmallow comparison, though the pillow is a lot floppier than those popular tween-beloved plushies. She says it has come to be one of her absolute favorite pieces of bedding, and she actually uses it in a variety of ways — sometimes she sleeps with it as “intended” by laying it fully over her eyes or just over her forehead. But Trolio says it has such a pleasing texture that she also likes using it smushed under one side of her head and around the back of her neck (especially if she’s lying in bed and doing the thing she admits you’re not supposed to do: endlessly scrolling her phone late at night). Trolio says, “Even though I’m an ‘easy’ sleeper who doesn’t usually need a sleep mask or earplugs as long as I have my trusty sound machine, I love that the Sleep Crown pillow functions like a mini weighted blanket for my face and can block out light and noise without having anything strapped to my head or inside my ears.”

The pillow’s fill is adjustable, making its weight customizable. And the cover (which comes in six color options) is made of machine-washable, naturally cooling organic bamboo jersey with extra covers available in a handful of additional colors. If it weren’t for the Sleep Crown’s price and the difficulty of actually getting your hands on one — restocks tend to sell out quickly, but the company is good about posting future on-sale dates — Trolio says she’d buy a whole pile of them.